Sometimes Standing Up Is The 1st Step
Downtown Eugene Became A HELLHOLE
In 2015, while I was working as a contracted security guard in downtown Eugene, the city closed the public restrooms in all the parking structures in July, due to actions of a few.
The restrooms were not well serviced anyway, as I had observed for about 3 years of Friday and Saturday on the evening & graveyard shifts.
Over 1,200 "street people" and all the people who were going downtown had lost access to public restrooms. The city’s parking structure was a wild scene of people peeing anywhere they could, with gallons of pee pooled like lakes throughout the parcades. I was offended as this was my work location. And, I was embarrassed for people who were stuck in this awkward situation without compromise.
Yeah, we hear about the need for proper sanitation, but the city had deprived us of a public restroom with soap and water.
City of EUGENE HATES 1ST AMENDMENT
The serious public health concerns continued to be ignored by officials. With that... I had seen enough stupid and hypocrisy from the city. I went to state my concerns at their city meeting with a petition... having gathered 400 signatures in about 8 hours and went and told City Council and Mayor about the problems.
By chance, I had taken 6 months off of work for personal reasons, and found out a week later, that the Company I had worked for had been contacted by angered city officials.
The city wanted me fired. The city was not willing to open the concrete restroom structures, but they contracted about 20 pot-a-pottie outhouses.
(Now, they have a handful remaining... which do not serve the 1,400+ homeless downtown, much less the thousands of people who visit Eugene each day.)
EUGENE UNFAIR TO WHISTLEBLOWER
When I returned to work, I got a lecture from my boss, because my testimony had created friction with their client and Eugene's City Administration was offended.
Nothing more said until Oct 2015 when the Obama Administration decided to politicize the tragic UCC massacre in Roseburg. Many people in Roseburg didn't want Obama to come and formed a protest. I contacted the organizers asked what signs they would want. They told me “ROSEBURG STRONG" "WE SUPPORT SHERIFF HANLIN" "PRAYERS" and “OBAMA GO HOME”. I would not have gone to Roseburg... but I was delivering their signs. There was me, and about 2,000 people who went to protest Obama in Roseburg... while 7 families met with him at the High School. Once I got there, some people wanted me to stay, so I did... and it turned out I was the #1 googled news story that night holding one of those signs saying “OBAMA GO HOME”.
Silencing The Little Guy
Lost my job, lost wages, lost free speech in exchange for port-a-potties
Some officials in the City of Eugene saw me in that picture from down in Roseburg and contacted my company. They wanted me fired.
Well, I was removed from my job, suffered lost wages and they had violated my 1st Amendment rights...so I filed a Federal Lawsuit.
Over the next 3 1/2 years, a lot of things happened. 1st: a 2nd Federal lawsuit was filed because the City of Eugene wanted me fired so badly that they canceled my former employer's contract with 25 disabled people who lost their jobs too. This contract had been continuous for over 12 years.
City of Eugene settled out of court with me. I would have taken it into the courtroom, but my lawyer said it would have cost another $75,000 and I didn’t have the money. I had made my point...standing-up for my 1st Amendment rights. I had suffered the process of 3 1/2 years and was exploited by lawyers, the city and the system. I had seen the emails that were tampered with. I had heard the collusion in depositions. I suffered being put on a terrorist watch list by Eugene Police Department. The officer who does these actions said he would not do it (in deposition) because he found no cause, nor did he find anything about me in police records. Further he said "this comes from city administration to people above him" (that leaves the chief, 3 captains and an appointed captain) KINDA SOUNDS POLITICAL DON'T YA THINK?
Vote Out The Local Tyrants
These Elected Democrats Ruthlessly Rule Eugene
My conclusion is the Corruption of Eugene is based on years of Democrat Rule... they don't respect the homeless, yet say they do. They don't respect your tax $$$, but they have years of spending on special projects that prove to not serve anyone who is not getting a paycheck to keep these programs going or enforced.
I have lived in Lane County since 1962. I have seen a wonderful community and county seat go from family wage jobs to an under-employed low-wage environment where many people no longer share hope. Eugene says it is inclusive and, yet it is not.
In truth, they didn't respect my 1st Amendment Rights (freedom to peaceful assembly, the right to address my grievances with elected public servants) nor did they allow me my free speech.
For that, I was fired.
